The band have never had, or have ever seemed to pursue, strong mainstream success, but they do have a devoted underground following in North America and Europe. They tour fairly often on both continents and maintain a dedicated fan base.
The band was formed in 1979 by brothers Rob Wright (bass guitar and vocals) and John Wright (drum set, keyboards and vocals). Their name derives from an anti-date rape slogan. For their first four years the duo's music would seem to be influenced as much by jazz and progressive rock as punk rock. The musical press described their earliest recordings as "Devo on a jazz trip, Motörhead after art school, or Wire on psychotic steroids." NoMeansNo have been credited with being an influence on, and perhaps even the genesis of, math rock.
The brothers Wright began recording as a two-piece in their parents' basement in 1979. These recordings, heard on their first two self-released 7"s, consisted of full rock band arrangements and had a new wave, warped-pop sound, different from subsequent recordings. When, in the early 1980s, the duo began gigging simply with bass, drums and vocals, the present form of their distinct sound slowly took shape. The songs they played in this period are documented on the "Mama" LP (re-released in 2004 on their own Wrong Records.)
In 1984, they added Andy Kerr (who played with John Wright in Infamous Scientists) on guitar and vocals. Kerr preferred pseudonymity and used such pseudonyms as "Buttercup" or "None-Of-Your-Fucking-Business". He brought a distinct hardcore punk edge to the group, and stayed until 1991. He is often erroneously credited for penning the lyrics of NoMeansNo songs on which he sang, perhaps due to deliberately vague liner notes and frequent vocal moonlighting (Kerr sings lead or co-lead vocals on nearly half the songs on Wrong for example). Kerr's vocals were a necessity for a period of time in the 1980s when Rob Wright was recovering from nodules on his vocal cords. While Rob Wright is the band's lyricist and main songwriter, all members have contributed songs to NoMeansNo records, and nearly all their material is credited to the entire band.
Wrong is widely considered the band's best and most representative record ("The playing is incredibly skilled, with the Wright brothers effortlessly shifting tempos and time signatures and Kerr's razor sharp lyrics clicking right into place").
After Kerr's departure, the Wright brothers recorded "Why Do They Call Me Mr. Happy?" as a duo. They subsequently recruited guitarist Tom Holliston from Showbusiness Giants and The Hanson Brothers, and have continued touring and releasing records, including "Worldhood of the World (as such)", "Dance of the Headless Bourgeoisie", "One", and most recently, "All Roads Lead to Ausfahrt" which was released on August 22, 2006. The album was released by AntAcidAudio in the United States and Southern Records in Europe.
The album "One", released in 2000, featured "two stunning covers that only make sense coming from NoMeansNo": a slow stoner rock-styled version of The Ramones' Beat On The Brat, and rather authentic fifteen-minute version of Miles Davis' Bitches Brew, (complete with electric piano and congas) featuring lyrics by Rob.
NoMeansNo initially released records with seminal punk rock record label Alternative Tentacles. This relationship ended in 2002. The band has since been reissuing old albums through Southern Records under their own Wrong Records imprint.
Even their earliest recordings demonstrate impressive instrumental technique ("some of the most complex instrumentation you're ever likely to find in punk rock"). Jazz has been an influence on the group; Rob's basslines have a loping, melodic quality often reminiscent of Charles Mingus, and John's drumming sometimes sounds a bit like Elvin Jones or Art Blakey.
NoMeansNo's output features a seemingly endless flow of "Wright/wrong/right" puns, and significant measures of black humour, with "pointedly warped lyrics", such as on "Dad" from Sex Mad. The song was a minor college radio hit, and has been called "a bit chilling, even though it's spit out at slam-pit's pace". The first person narrator details a rampaging father's physical and sexual abuse, ending with what's been called a "killer end touch—the baldly delivered line 'I'm seriously considering leaving home.'". One critic (while noting the group's "savage intelligence") suggests that NoMeansNo might well be "the secret influence on a fair amount of both early-'90s math rock and emo, what with the barely controlled fervour of the singing and the sudden jerks back and forth in the rhythm section."
Equally striking about the band's back catalogue is their ability to jump from style to style and still maintain their musical identity. They leap from dirge to thrash, complication to simplicity, discordant to melodic and still sound like themselves.
John's drumming style has been mentioned as an influence to others, including Dave Grohl.
NoMeansNo's alter ego is TheHanson Brothers, a quartet with John singing and different drummer. Nearly a Ramones tribute band, the Hanson Brothers play fun punk rock as a mock group of backward Canadian ice hockey fans. The lyrics centre on ice hockey, beer and girls. The name comes from characters in the 1977 George Roy Hill film Slap Shot, starring Paul Newman.
Rob Wright's alter ego is Mr. Wrong, who dresses as an authoritarian priest and often poses with a shotgun. Mr. Wrong is simply Wright on bass and vocals with no other instrumentation. It is rumoured that Wright also plays upright bass in a traditional jazz band who play standards, but he keeps this side of his life fuzzy in interviews.
Tom Holliston released several albums with his band Showbusiness Giants as well as three solo albums.
Andy Kerr and John Wright played in the early 1980s in the Infamous Scientists. Kerr, after leaving NoMeansNo, released a solo CD and collaborated with Victoria musician Scott Henderson in Hissanol. Kerr most recently has begun a duo called Two Pin Din in the Netherlands.
The Fall
NoMeansNo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(This is love, this is love
give me just a little shove
this love-)
This is
The end is nothing
And you begin with nothing much
A gentle touch, a vicious punch
Just lean on over (roll on over, please move over)
You will get a little shove
Over your shoulder
A whisper saying This is love, this is love
This is
First we feel
Then we fall
Baby he is crawling
The world before his eyes unfoldds
He's hearing voices (teeling stories, dirty stories)
And Baby does as he is told
The night is falling (Baby's crawling, voices calling)
Mommy's holding Daddy close
Baby hears her calling
Give me just a little shove, this is love
This is
First we feel
Then we fall
The Tower's falling
I think the dam's about to burst
The walls are falling (hear them rumble, see them tumble)
The light is blinding, you go first
It starts with nothing ( out of nothing, into nothing)
First and last, last and first
There's just one question
Do you know the meaning of? this is love,, this is love
(This is love, this is love
give me just a little shove
this is love-)
This is
First we feel
Then we fall
The lyrics to NoMeansNo's song "The Fall" can be interpreted in different ways, as it relies heavily on symbolism and the listener’s personal experience. At its core, the song is about the consuming nature of love and the transformative power it has over us. The opening lines repeat the phrase "this is love" over and over, almost as if the singer is trying to convince themselves or their partner of the reality of this love. The lines "give me just a little shove/ over your shoulder" imply a physical push or nudge, which can be seen as a metaphor for the momentum that love can bring into our lives.
The verses describe different scenarios where love is present. The first verse juxtaposes gentleness and violence, highlighting the range of emotions that can be evoked by love. The second verse describes a baby’s innocent perspective on the world, where they are told stories and blindly follow what they are told. The final verse is the most cryptic and apocalyptic, referencing the Tower of Babel and a dam about to burst. These allusions can be interpreted as the devastating effects that love can have, whether it be on an individual level or on a societal level.
Overall, "The Fall" suggests that love has the power to transform and even destroy us. It can bring us to heights of ecstasy but can also be our undoing. The repetition of "first we feel/ then we fall" implies the inevitability of the fall, as love inevitably leads to heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you know the meaning of ? this is love, this is love
Asking if you understand what true love really is
(This is love, this is love
give me just a little shove
this love-)
Love can sometimes use force or a push
The end is nothing
At the end of life, nothing really matters or exists anymore
And you begin with nothing much
Life starts with little value, possessions or meaning
It starts with something (you see something, you feel something)
Life begins when you start to see and feel things around you
A gentle touch, a vicious punch
Life can bring both gentle and cruel experiences
Just lean on over (roll on over, please move over)
In order to move forward in life, sometimes you need to physically move or change direction
You will get a little shove
Over your shoulder
A whisper saying This is love, this is love
Events in life can give you a push or change in direction, and love can be silently powerful
First we feel
Then we fall
Experiencing feelings can lead to falling in love or falling down in life
Baby he is crawling
The world before his eyes unfolds
A child's perspective of the world is new and unfolding
He's hearing voices (telling stories, dirty stories)
And Baby does as he is told
Innocence can be influenced by outside factors and may follow orders easily
The night is falling (Baby's crawling, voices calling)
Mommy's holding Daddy close
As the day ends, familiar people and surroundings give comfort and security
Baby hears her calling
Give me just a little shove, this is love
A mother's love can sometimes come across as forceful or protective
The Tower's falling
I think the dam's about to burst
A major change or breaking point is imminent
The walls are falling (hear them rumble, see them tumble)
The light is blinding, you go first
Everything is collapsing and it's hard to see what's next. You take the first step
There's just one question
Do you know the meaning of? this is love, this is love
The ultimate question is whether you really understand the concept of love
(This is love, this is love
give me just a little shove
this is love-)
Love is not always easy, and may require a little push
First we feel
Then we fall
In the end, it all starts with feeling and leads to falling in love or in life
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HUNT, POWER, RIVETT CARNAC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mirek Pansky
Do you know the meaning of? - this is love, this is love
(This is love, this is love
give me just a little shove
this love-)
This is
The end is nothing
And you begin with nothing much
It starts with something (you see something, you feel something)
A gentle touch, a vicious punch
Just lean on over (roll on over, please move over)
You will get a little shove
Over your shoulder
A whisper saying "This is love, this is love-"
This is
First we feel
Then we fall
Baby he is crawling
The world before his eyes unfoldds
He's hearing voices (teeling stories, dirty stories)
And Baby does as he is told
The night is falling (Baby's crawling, voices calling)
Mommy's holding Daddy close
Baby hears her calling
"Give me just a little shove, this is love -"
This is
First we feel
Then we fall
The Tower's falling
I think the dam's about to burst
The walls are falling (hear them rumble, see them tumble)
The light is blinding, you go first
It starts with nothing ( out of nothing, into nothing)
First and last, last and first
There's just one question
Do you know the meaning of? -this is love,, this is love
(This is love, this is love
give me just a little shove
this is love-)
This is
First we feel
Then we fall
Mirek Pansky
Do you know the meaning of? - this is love, this is love
(This is love, this is love
give me just a little shove
this love-)
This is
The end is nothing
And you begin with nothing much
It starts with something (you see something, you feel something)
A gentle touch, a vicious punch
Just lean on over (roll on over, please move over)
You will get a little shove
Over your shoulder
A whisper saying "This is love, this is love-"
This is
First we feel
Then we fall
Baby he is crawling
The world before his eyes unfoldds
He's hearing voices (teeling stories, dirty stories)
And Baby does as he is told
The night is falling (Baby's crawling, voices calling)
Mommy's holding Daddy close
Baby hears her calling
"Give me just a little shove, this is love -"
This is
First we feel
Then we fall
The Tower's falling
I think the dam's about to burst
The walls are falling (hear them rumble, see them tumble)
The light is blinding, you go first
It starts with nothing ( out of nothing, into nothing)
First and last, last and first
There's just one question
Do you know the meaning of? -this is love,, this is love
(This is love, this is love
give me just a little shove
this is love-)
This is
First we feel
Then we fall
Richard Jolicoeur
Way ahead of their time ! I remember the first time I heard headless borg album and couldn’t believe how good it was :D
niko sorrentino
I Introduced a friend of mine to this a few months ago now she's obsessed with them
I'm so proud
Victor Alcantara
+niko sorrentino I started to listen to this band a few days ago, now I simply can't stop listening them!
Shawarma Boy
I guess you could say she's "Obsessed" (hehehehehehehe)
ADI KAOS
me too
Daniel Prohart
Well done, young apprentice.
Frazer Adamson
Met John Rob and Tom at a gig in London. Fucking great night! The GOATS
imnotyou andimglad
nomeansno for life. most powerful 3 piece ever live! for real
La cave de Papa Boyer
Aaaaaaah. C'est bon. Très bon.